Real-World Testing Shows Li-Fi, A Wireless Technology Using Light Bulbs, To Be 100 Times Faster Than Wi-Fi

The real-time tests of Li-Fi, an advanced wireless communications technology, showed that it was 100 times faster than the currently available Wi-Fi networks. With an impressive data transfer rate of approximately 1 GB per second, the new system was tested for the first time in offices and industrial environments in Tallinin, Estonia. At such speeds it takes only a few seconds to download a high-resolution 1.5 GB film.

Developed in 2011 by scientist Harald Haas from the University of Edinburgh, Li-Fi is a high-speed two-way wireless technology based on Visible Light Communication (VLC). With visible light of 400 to 800 terahertz (THz), the technology can transmit data in binary code and turn on and off LED lamps in nanoseconds. The light bulbs are turned on and turned off at too high a speed to be visible to the naked eye.

In the past, Li-Fi lab tests have yielded incredibly high speeds of up to 224 gigabits per second. In addition to faster data transfer, Li-Fi has several advantages over current Wi-Fi technologies. Sicne Light waves can not penetrate the walls, they ensure less interference between the different devices and more security against piracy. In addition, unlike other networks, it can safely be used in sensitive areas such as hospitals, aircraft cabins and nuclear power plants without causing electromagnetic interference.

While Li-Fi is able to completely replace existing Wi-Fi networks in the coming decades, researchers believe that creating a whole new infrastructure would be difficult for the latest technology. Perhaps the most effective system would be one in which the two technologies work in tandem. As a result, scientists are currently looking into ways to adapt existing devices to make them compatible with the new technology. Haas, the inventor of Li-Fi, said:

All we need to do is adapt a small microchip to any lighting device that would combine two basic features: lighting and wireless data transmission. In the future we will have not only 14 billion ampoules, we will use 14 billion Li-Fis around the world for a cleaner, greener and better future.

For the first time the technology was tested in real environments by the company based in Estonia Velmenni. According to Deepak Solanki, CEO of Velmenni, high-speed Li-Fi networks are likely to be available to consumers over the next three to four years. He added:

We are doing some pilot projects in various industries where we can use the VLC technology (visual visual communication). At present, we have developed an intelligent lighting solution for an industrial environment in which data communication is performed by light. We also have a pilot project with a private customer, where we set up a Li-Fi network to access the Internet in their office.

A few months ago, we talked about a similar technology currently being developed by Brown University scientists using Terahertz waves to provide data at speeds that are 100 times faster than Wi-Fi networks and the present.